neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (nlr) correlates with total and direct bilirubin in chronic hepatitis b patients with/without cirrhosis

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (nlr) is considered as an important but inexpensive biomarker for inflammation in chronic hepatitis b patients. cirrhosis increases bilirubin levels, suggesting severe liver dysfunction. this study aimed to investigate the correlation between nlr and liver function tests (lft) in chronic hepatitis b patients with/without cirrhosis. this cross-sectional study included 36 patients with chronic hepatitis b with and without cirrhosis. the lft results, neutrophil, and lymphocyte count were recorded and calculated. mann-whitney and spearman correlation analyses were performed in both groups. a significant relationship was found between nlr and both total and direct bilirubin (r=0.35; p=0.035; and r=0.428; p=0.009). significant differences between the two groups were found in total (p=0.01) and direct (p=0.10) bilirubin levels. the hbv-dna was significantly positively correlated with alt (r=0.33; p=0.047). the nlr is significantly associated with total and direct bilirubin.